Campus safety in focus after San Bernardino shooting

The shooting at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino on April 10 raise the question: What are the odds of Delta being in danger?

Campus police watch for potential threats every day in case of events such as shootings, motor vehicle theft and other crimes.

“This District has always believed strongly in the need to provide a safe learning environment,” said Acting Sergeant/PIO for Police Services Jim Bock.

There may be no history of a shooting on campus, but there’s protocol in place anyway.

“All of our officers are highly trained in active shooter response,” said Bock.

Delta does have an “In Case of an Emergency Procedures” pamphlet in every classroom. With almost any possible situation that could happen on campus, including an active shooter section.

It explains what a student should do in the event of an active shooter, as well as what the officers are going to do in the situation.

“In the event of a shooting, our officers will be the first responders to attempt and stop the shooting. While our officers respond, we will also call our neighboring police agencies and request assistance in evacuations and to make sure that the scene is safe,” said Bock.

Do students feel safe on campus?

“I do feel safe on campus”, said Delta College student, Gibran Carrillo.

Fellow student Jessica Corona agreed.

“Yes, I feel pretty safe on campus,” she said.

Bock said campus police have received “very positive feedback” from students about their “perceived safety.”

An emergency situation can change that perception, though. Corona said she has thought about how she would leave campus if an emergency occurred.

“All I can think of is if I need to evacuate the classroom and school campus for safety, I would need help getting off the second floor being that I am wheelchair bound,” said Corona.

Carrillo said he would “find a way to safety.”

The department encouraged instructors to show a video titled “Run. Hide. Fight.” The video shows students what to do in an active shooter scenario.

Students should look out for themselves from any sorts of danger.

“We provide safety and crime prevention tips throughout the year. This is done in a variety of ways; Social Media, Radio, E-mail, Website,” said Bock.

Danger may lurk around you. On April 15, at the weekly Delta College flea market, a woman was almost robbed. The robber fled before he could be arrested, according to a Clery warning sent to the campus population.

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The Collegian is the student newspaper of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. The paper is published six times a semester in the fall and spring.

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